Chapter 23: The Boss is Too Weak (3)

 

“...Kerruk. Kehuek...”

 

Seeing that the goblin shaman was on the verge of death—

 

“Grr-oo-wook...”

 

—The minotaur snorted. Its crouched body was tightly bound with something resembling a purple rope, and the end of the rope was connected to the goblin shaman’s staff.

 

“...Ferocious.”

 

Of course, I’ve been killed by that monster before, but that was back in my feeble days, hence… I was easily trampled.

 

So, I couldn’t really comprehend how strong it was.

 

Now, facing it face to face, I could truly feel it.

 

I can’t beat that thing. Absolutely not.

 

To take on such a monster without letting it land even a single hit… how strong would one have to become to win head-on?

 

Just imagining it made my head spin.

 

“As you can see, this is the situation.”

 

Park Cheol-jin said calmly. Now I understood why he evacuated his people.

 

If such a monster were lurking near the base camp, even I would evacuate people.

 

“...Choi Ji-won. Seeing it for yourself, what do you think? Can you win?”

 

“...”

 

Choi Ji-won couldn’t answer immediately.

 

Her eyes were busy scanning the minotaur’s body.

 

“The odds are not favorable... Its physique makes it difficult to inflict fatal injuries.”

 

Choi Ji-won finally opened her mouth after a long struggle. Her words held nothing but negativity.

 

Even the strongest person on our side, Choi Ji-won, couldn’t guarantee victory.

 

I’ll say it again, but I still can’t react to Choi Ji-won’s ‘abnormality.’

 

After all, if I were to fight the minotaur, I’d probably last less than 5 seconds before swearing ‘f*ck!’ and retreating.

 

“What if you, me, and Kim Jun-ho combine our strength?”

 

“...I don’t know.”

 

‘I can’t fight, Cheol-jin Ahjussi...,’ I wanted to say, but I couldn’t even muster the words.

 

I couldn’t also mention the fact that I’d regress with just one hit...

 

But, can that monster not move at all?

 

“Can’t we just cut its throat while it’s sealed and immobilized?”

 

If both I and Park Cheol-jin, along Choi Ji-won, attack its neck simultaneously, we might be able to deliver a fatal blow.

 

It’s not like it’s moving around; it’s just crouched there...

 

If we strike the minotaur’s neck with full force, won’t it die?

 

“...Of course, we’ve considered that too.”

 

But Park Cheol-jin shook his head.

 

“It’s impossible. We’ve tried everything. Try touching it once.”

 

“What?”

 

“It’s alright, just touch it once.”

 

...What? Surely, it’s not the gigantic monster he’s talking about, right?

 

“It’s really okay.”

 

As if confirming my thoughts, Park Cheol-jin encouraged me to touch the massive muscular creature.

 

“...Really, touch it?”

 

“Quaagghhh...”

 

As I approached, the minotaur let out a low growl, staring at me with bloodshot eyes.

 

Calm down, Minotaur-kun. I’m not doing this because I want to...

 

“Quaag...”

 

Slowly, inch by inch, my outstretched hand finally touched the minotaur’s fur.

 

Tap.

 

“...Huh?”

 

Instead of the minotaur’s coarse fur, my hand touched something smooth.

 

It felt like touching the glass.

 

Something like a spherical glass sphere was around the minotaur’s body.

 

“While it’s sealed, it’s also protected. Ji-won, could you break this?”

 

“It seems unlikely.”

 

“Hmm... That’s a shame.”

 

If we kill the goblin shaman, the glass sphere will probably disappear.

 

But at the same time, the purple rope that restrains it will also vanish.

 

If we time it perfectly, we might be able to deliver a blow to the minotaur, but… the difficulty will be much higher.

 

Sigh…

 

The person who designed this tower is a real bastard.

 

After claiming that we can all survive if we defeat the boss… They sealed an unimaginable monster in front of the boss.

 

Do they expect us to defeat that thing if we want everyone to survive?

 

I’ve felt it from the beginning; this tower is expertly designed to create a fucked-up situation...

 

“Huh?”

 

An ominous feeling suddenly crept up my spine.

 

My brain contemplated the worst-case scenario, and it quickly reached a conclusion.

 

“Mr. Park Cheol-jin?”

 

“My trait is specialized in defense... Huh? Yes?”

 

“By any chance, how many people know that there is a boss here?”

 

“...Including me, there are four of us. They’re all trustworthy.”

 

“Thank Go—.”

 

Again, I must emphasize that this tower is leading us into a fucked-up situation.

 

If we focus on the first clear-condition…

 

Those with deceitful abilities can easily acquire the bead, but let’s consider it from the perspective of an ordinary person with average abilities.

 

For Choi Ji-won, it’s easy to deal with monsters, but a mutant goblin is incredibly challenging for an ordinary person to face.

 

Several ordinary people, having gathered enough levels, must risk their lives and charge to barely achieve victory.

 

Imagine fifteen ordinary people staking their lives to barely defeat a mutant goblin.

 

They will receive enough food to last two meals and one or two golden beads.

 

What would you think if you were in their position?

 

After eating all the food, they have to put their lives on the line again. The person who died a moment ago from the mutant goblin’s blind attack could be them this time.

 

The leader would advise everyone to hold back until they can obtain the golden beads for everyone.

 

But there are only 50 golden beads, and they need 14 more.

 

Anxiety would turn into distrust, and suspicion would become a certainty.

 

Someone who appeared to be your comrade just a moment ago would suddenly become a competitor.

 

The predetermined future is doom…

 

It’s now the sixth day in the afternoon.

 

Even now, somewhere, a struggle to kill or be killed by fellow participants is likely happening over the beads.

 

“I know the golden beads breed distrust among people. But what does that have to do with the boss?”

 

Park Cheol-jin, the firefighter, asked me as if he didn’t know what I wanted to say.

 

“...If we kill the boss, the Minotaur will be released, right?”

 

“That thing is called Minotaur? Yeah, it will be released.”

 

“And then the portal will appear.”

 

“...!”

 

“Do you understand now?”

 

If we kill the boss, a portal will appear.

 

At the same time, the Minotaur will be released, but the person who killed the boss can enter the nearby portal and survive.

 

If one kills the boss... at least that person can survive.

 

The boss is just an old goblin on the verge of death. Killing it shouldn’t be too difficult.

 

“If I were in a desperate situation... I would probably try killing the boss first.”

 

This tower has set up some damn tricky mechanisms.

 

Those who kill the boss can advance to the next stage.

 

Of course, except for that group, others will be left behind with Minotaur... But in extreme situations, humans tend to be selfish.

 

Once someone presses the escape button, disaster begins.

 

This tower is designed to cause division among people until the very end.

 

“...Damn it. Damn it all! Does God see us as mere toys to play with?”

 

Bang!

 

Park Cheol-jin couldn’t contain his anger and struck the nearby tree trunk.

 

He used to be a firefighter whose job was to save people.

 

Besides being kind-hearted… his desire to help others is probably much greater than others.

 

To someone like him, this space full of malice must feel unbearably unpleasant.

 

“...Sigh. I’ll cool my head for a bit and come back.”

 

He left, grinding his teeth.

 

“Kim Jun-ho, I’ll calm down for a moment too. When emotions run high... my body doesn’t listen.”

 

Choi Ji-won, who was emitting a strong murderous intent, also disappeared somewhere while caressing her sword.

 

“...Where is everyone going?”

 

Now, the only ones left in this space are...

 

“Grrrr...”

 

The Minotaur, whose eyes were bloodshot.

 

“Cough...cough...”

 

An elderly goblin, struggling to catch its breath…

 

And me.

 

Alternatively looking between the two a few times, I cautiously sat down next to the goblin shaman, whose arms constantly trembled as it held onto its staff tightly.

 

“...Sigh.”

 

To be honest, I’m not in a hurry to regress.

 

After all, my goal is not to kill the Minotaur but to claim all the rewards available on the 0th floor.

 

Although the thought of getting rewards by killing it may tempt me, I have no intention of banging my head against an impossible task.

 

Besides, there’s no urgent need to find a solution regarding Minotaur right now.

 

The next round, or even the round after that, might reveal an excellent solution.

 

So, if I judge that I can’t defeat the Minotaur even through repeated regression…?

 

Then I can just swallow a golden bead and move on.

 

“It’s too early to worry about that though.”

 

But it’s also too early to give up on defeating it now.

 

There’s still time, and there’s no guarantee that the next round will have the same circumstances as this one.

 

As seen with Mr. Kim, the future can change due to even the slightest incident.

 

Besides, it seems like Choi Ji-won is somewhat trusting me. Without getting what I wanted, I don’t want to waste the relationship I’ve painstakingly built.

 

If I really find myself stuck in a dead-end, I will regress. But until then, I must try anything I can.

 

Now, let’s think... Let’s recall the timeline.

 

“Hmm...”

 

The Minotaur attacked the vacant lot on the 7th day around noon. And now, it’s the 6th day in the afternoon.

 

Whether the goblin shaman died of natural causes or fell victim to someone trying to escape...

 

If the events unfold similarly to the previous rounds, it will die tomorrow.

 

If it’s a victim of someone, I can prevent it. But if it’s a natural cause, there’s no solution.

 

Assuming the goblin shaman’s death is natural, there are about 20 hours left.

 

Within those 20 hours, is there a good way to kill that massive monster?

 

“Cough...human… Cough… I smell... human...”

 

Hmm... should I bury it to buy more time by digging a hole? If Mr. Kim could do it, maybe I can too.

 

“Human...!”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I need...help... Kerruk...cough...”

 

“Wait! What!?”

 

6th day, afternoon.

 

The goblin shaman spoke to me.

 

--- END OF THE CHAPTER ---

 

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